Considering different types of literature: does enjoying poetry separate a person from broader culture, or does reading popular novels connect us, if so, it connects us because:

Enjoying poetry is probably not something that would separate a person from broader culture because all people enjoy different things.  This would lead to the question, then, “Why would all things separate people from each other?”  If that were so, society would be separated into tiny fragments based upon likes, which is not really the case when you think about it.  Within any group of people, you will find each like different things—you will find artists who like mountain climbing and those who don’t; you will find mountain climbers who like knitting and those who don’t.  If anything, it would provide another element with which people could potentially connect to another facet of the broader culture to which they belong.  Because of that same rationale, the reading of popular novels can definitely be seen to connect us.   Additionally, even if some people liked a popular novel and some people did not, they could have the opportunity to connect in a conversation where they discussed their reasons for their respective feelings for the novel.  Thus, literature of all types has a unifying element however small or insignificant it may seem.